indefinite strike on Thursday (today) over sundry issues, including the unresolved leadership crisis in the health sector, non-commencement of residency training programme for health professionals, non-implementation of new call duty allowance and non-payment of arrears.
National President of Nigeria Union of Allied
Health Professionals, Felix Faniran, who
announced the commencement of the strike in
Ibadan on Wednesday, accused the presidency
and Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, as being behind the crisis in the health sector.
Faniran said, "In May 2010, the unions in the
health sector under the auspices of Joint Health
Sector Unions presented a memorandum to the
government containing some demands. A
presidential panel headed by Justice Abdulahi
Bello Gusau was set up in August to look into the demands. This panel was inhibited from carrying out its duties by both the Nigerian Medical Association and the Minister of Health by way of protests and criticisms on the part of NMA while the minister obstructed the committee by starving it of funds and issuance of circulars to pre-empt the outcome of the panel.
"The panel managed to submit its report in
November, 2011, but till date none of the 27
recommendations of the panel has been implemented. It should be noted that another
panel, the Ministerial Committee on Medical/
Dental Practitioners Residency Programmes,
which was set up the same day with Abdulahi
Bello's committee, did not only complete and
submit its report as scheduled, its recommendations are already being implemented."
He added that the five-point agreement signed
between the government and the health workers'
union in May, 2012, was yet to be implemented by the government.
He explained, "These include the promotion of our qualified members to the post of Directors in the Federal Ministry of Health and parastatals;
extension of retirement age from 60-65 years and 70 years for non-consultants respectively; and constitution of the management of boards of
hospitals to reflect good presence of other health
care professionals rather than the present situation where only medical practitioners
dominate each board with 10 members out of 13
members."
The effect of the strike should be blamed on
government that ignored all avenues to avert it,
the NUAHP president said.
http://www.punchng.com/news/health-workers-begin-nationwide-strike-today/
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